Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon has been put on the 10-day injured list with a strained left oblique muscle. This is the third time this season that the 34-year-old has been sidelined by an injury.
The Angels also placed closer Ben Joyce on the 15-day injured list due to right shoulder inflammation. To cover for these absences, they have called up infielder Eric Wagaman and right-handed reliever Guillo Zuñiga from Triple-A Salt Lake.
Rendon’s current injury started with back issues, which kept him out of the lineup on Sunday and Monday. The team then discovered that he needed more time to recover from the oblique strain.
The injured list move is retroactive to Sunday, meaning Rendon could have up to 11 games left to play if he’s ready to return when eligible.
“Just have to wait and see what happens,” manager Ron Washington said. “I’m not going to sit here and say it’s the end of the year.”
Earlier this season, Rendon missed 68 games due to a strained left hamstring and later sat out for eight games with lower back inflammation. After leaving the 2019 World Series champion Washington Nationals, Rendon signed a seven-year, $245 million contract with the Angels.
Since joining the Angels in the shortened 2020 season, Rendon has not played more than 58 games in any season. In 2019, he had a 1.010 OPS with 34 home runs and a major league-leading 126 RBIs. However, his OPS with the Angels over five years is only .717. This season, Rendon is batting .218 with no home runs in 206 at-bats.
Joyce’s injury is not considered severe, and he is expected to return later this year. This move was made retroactive to Saturday. Joyce has a 2.08 ERA in 31 appearances and has saved all four of his opportunities.
Eric Wagaman, a 27-year-old from Southern California who played at Orange Coast College near Angels Stadium, was selected in the Rule 5 draft last winter from the New York Yankees organization.
